Phrase guide

make light of

verb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

To regard without due seriousness; to joke about.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • I wish you wouldn't make light of the matter, when it obviously means a great deal to him.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Make light work of.

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: اِسْتَخَفَّ (istaḵaffa) — regard without due seriousness
  • Arabic: اِسْتَهَانَ (istahāna) — regard without due seriousness
  • Chinese Mandarin: 輕視 /轻视 (qīngshì) — regard without due seriousness
  • Chinese Mandarin: 無視 /无视 (wúshì) — regard without due seriousness
  • Danish: tage let på — regard without due seriousness
  • Esperanto: trakti malserioze — regard without due seriousness
  • Faroese: fara lættliga um — regard without due seriousness
  • Finnish: suhtautua kevyesti — regard without due seriousness
  • French: prendre à la légère — regard without due seriousness
  • German: nicht allzu ernst nehmen — regard without due seriousness
  • German: sich nicht viel machen aus — regard without due seriousness
  • German: auf die leichte Schulter nehmen — regard without due seriousness
  • Italian: infischiarsene — regard without due seriousness
  • Italian: minimizzare — regard without due seriousness
  • Japanese: 侮る (anadoru) — regard without due seriousness
  • Japanese: 舐める (nameru) — regard without due seriousness
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ta lett på — regard without due seriousness
  • Polish: bimbać — regard without due seriousness
  • Portuguese: fazer pouco caso — regard without due seriousness
  • Spanish: minimizar — regard without due seriousness
  • Spanish: restar importancia — regard without due seriousness
  • Spanish: frivolizar — regard without due seriousness
  • Swedish: ta lätt på — regard without due seriousness